On one side, there’s the Tennessee River, where fans arrive by boat and tailgate for hours before kickoff. On the other, there is the historic center of UT’s Old Campus.
September 12, 2009
UCLA at Tennessee
Neyland Stadium
Knoxville, Tennessee
Kickoff Time – 4 pm EST
TV: ESPN
Series History: Tennessee holds a 7-5-2 all-time advantage in the series with UCLA dating to 1965. The Vols also hold a 4-1-2 edge in games played in Knoxville.
Last Meeting: Tennessee lost 27-24 at UCLA to open the 2008 season. The Vols failed to capitalize on multiple Bruin turnovers and dropped the game in overtime after Daniel Lincoln missed a 34-yard, game-tying field goal in the first extra frame. The Vols and Bruins last hooked up in Knoxville in 1996, a 35-20 UT victory.
Neuheisel v. Kiffin: UT head coach Lane Kiffin and UCLA boss Rick Neuheisel have twice been on opposing sidelines. Southern California went 1-1 vs. Washington in 2001 and 2002 while Neuheisel was the head coach for the Huskies and Kiffin was a position coach at USC. The Trojans lost 27-24 at Washington in 2001 and won 41-21 at home a year later.
Coaching Debuts: Lane Kiffin is Tennessee’s 21st head coach, and he became the 17th to win his inaugural game vs. Western Kentucky on Sept. 5. Only seven UT coaches have started their careers 2-0, and prior to Phillip Fulmer doing so, no coach since Gen. Robert R. Neyland has started his inaugural campaign with two wins.
On Sept. 12: Tennessee is 2-1 all-time on Sept. 12. The Vols have never played at home on this date.
vs. the Pac-10: The Vols are 14-12-3 all-time vs. teams that now comprise the Pac-10 Conference. The contest marks the fourth UT vs. Pac-10 matchup in as many seasons. The Vols are 1-2 in those contests, losing at UCLA last season and at California in 2007 and winning at home vs. Cal in 2006.
A win would: A victory over UCLA would give Tennessee a 2-0 start for the first time since 2006 and for the sixth time since 2000.
A loss would: A loss to UCLA would make just the second occassion since the inception of the BCS that Tennessee has played a multiple-game series vs. a BCS conference opponent and not won at least one of the contests. BCS era major conference opponents include Cal (1-1), Notre Dame (2-0), Notre Dame again (0-2) and Miami (1-1).
Sep 5 - Tennessee 63, W. Kentucky 7 Sep 12 - UCLA 19, Tennessee 15 Sep 19 - Florida 23, Tennessee 13 Sep 26 - Tennessee 34, Ohio 23 Oct 3 - Auburn 26, Tennessee 22 Oct 10 - Tennessee 45, Georgia 19 Oct 24 - Tennessee at Alabama Oct 31 - S. Carolina at Tennessee Nov 7 - Memphis at Tennessee Nov 14 - Tennessee at Mississippi Nov 21 - Vanderbilt at Tennessee Nov 28 - Tennessee at Kentucky Dec 5 - SEC Championship
BOWL GAME
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The Tennessee Vols have had a former player particpating in 20 of the last 22 Super Bowls, including Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning 2009-10-07
The last four contests between Georgia and Tennessee have been decided by 12 points or more 2009-10-07
Mike Strange of GoVolsExtra: The Tennessee Vols have started 2-3 only four previous times in the past 30 years. h ttp://bit.ly/2mQeDl 2009-10-05
GoVolsExtra: Since 2001, the Vols are 41-17 in Neyland Stadium, a 70.7-percent success rate. http://bit.ly/2mQeDl2009-10-05